Epiphany and St. Mark partners with various engaging ministries and neighbourhood organizations in Parkdale. Our parish has a deep passion and outpouring of support for diverse types of work within the community, including those centred on food and gardening accessibility, housing justice, space for creativity, gatherings for mutual joy and sorrow, and more.
This mandate to partner with like-minded, yet often non-religious neighbourhood organizations, grew organically out of an earnest desire to translate the good news of Christ into the lives of our neighbours. It is also rooted in an ethos of sharing land and buildings that have been traditionally used exclusively by the church with the community as a whole, making them available for creative projects that work toward the common good.
Greenest City, part of West Neighbourhood House, weaves together food, plant and medicine growing, land stewardship, righting relations with the Indigenous people of this land, collective care of each other, art, and food sovereignty with climate action. Their core work includes community gardens that are just outside the church and elsewhere in Parkdale, a summer market across the street, workshops on how to grow, save, and prepare food, and festivals that bring together people from the wider community.
The Dale Ministries, “the church without its own walls,” is a vigorous community that welcomes everyone, particularly those who are marginalized, to come to places in or near Epiphany and St. Mark’s throughout the week. Opportunities for connecting with others include drop-ins, meals-to-go, Bible Study, art gatherings, and Sunday worship.
The Parkdale Neighbourhood Land Trust (PNLT) is a not-for-profit community land trust in Parkdale led by a group of residents and organizations trying to protect the social, cultural and economic diversity of Parkdale by redefining how land is used and developed.
Through the community land trust model, PNLT owns the following land and assures it is used to meet the needs of the community:
- The Milky Way Garden, which is located just behind Epiphany and St. Mark and managed by partner Greenest City is 7,000 square feet of space that can be used by community members, primarily newcomers, to grow their own food. It’s also used for a wide range of education projects and community celebrations.
- 22 Maynard Avenue, 36 units of affordable rental housing for low and moderate income households.
- 26 Maynard Avenue, a 15-unit bachelorette building with supports
- Scatterhomes, 81 detached buildings and small apartment buildings across the west end of Toronto
Aangen’s philosophy “One Love, One World” is lived out through breaking the cycle of poverty with programs that address hunger and homelessness, create employment opportunities, and help those in crisis. They raise funds through making and selling nutritions “All Dried Up” soups in Epiphany and St. Mark’s kitchens, providing cleaning services, and partnering with agencies to create employment.
The artists in the Flick the Switch Artists’ Collective are very grateful for the beautiful studios in the Church of Epiphany and St Mark. It is a welcome oasis where they can safely be contemplative and creative. Approximately 24 artists use the space to follow their unique path: painters, sculptors, ceramic artists, and writers. Open Studios in the spring and fall, gatherings, and sometimes exhibitions in galleries are held.
OTHER ANGLICAN-AFFILIATED ORGANIZATIONS
Toronto Urban Native Ministries
The Toronto Urban Native Ministry (TUNM), jointly supported by the Anglican and United churches, is unique in Ontario. Working out of Church of the Holy Trinity in downtown Toronto, TUNM interacts with more than 8,000 lives each year. They reach out to Indigenous people on the street, in hospitals, in jails, shelters and hostels, providing counseling, Ceremony, spiritual care, frontline Covid support, and referrals to community services.
TUNM also participates in sacred gatherings of Indigenous people, and facilitates the reconciliation process between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.
The Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF) is the Anglican Church of Canada’s agency for sustainable development and humanitarian relief. By engaging Anglicans across Canada, PWRDF supports projects to improve the wellbeing of community members and break the cycle of poverty with a focus on health, empowering women and girls, food security and climate change, and Indigenous programs. PWRDF responds to natural disasters and conflicts with humanitarian relief to support affected families and communities.